Add chopped tomato, cayenne pepper, salt, and 1-1/2 cups of the reserved poaching liquid. Increase heat to medium high and boil mixture uncovered for 15 minutes, or until sauce becomes thick and pulpy. Be sure to stir sauce every few minutes to prevent sticking.

At serving time slowly heat mixture. Sprinkle cilantro leaves on top as you bring the dish to the table.

Garam masala is a blend of dry-roasted ground spices common in Indian cuisine, whose literal meaning is ‘hot spices’. There are many variants: most traditional mixes use just cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg (and/or mace), black pepper and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods. Many commercial mixtures may include more of other less expensive spices and may contain dried red chili peppers, dried garlic, ginger powder, sesame, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, cloves, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin, nutmeg, and fennel. While commercial garam masala preparations can be bought ready ground, it does not keep well, and soon loses its aroma. It is much better to buy the whole spices, which keep fresh much longer, and to grind them when needed using a pestle or cheap electric coffee grinder.